Rabbits, Records and Other Matters

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My response was a trip to the friendly feed store, where a cash outlay of $1.26 made me the owner of three dewdrop waterers. In commercial rabbitries these small brass devices -one inch long and half an inch in diameter-are screwed into a long water pipe that runs between rows of cages placed back to back. In the center of each waterer is a small plunger which the rabbit pushes with its tongue to release a dribble of liquid.

With my tiny herd, though, I obviously don't need a full scale plumbing system. My substitute for each bunny is an empty three pound honey can with a hole punched in the bottom to receive one of the dewdrop waterers. A small washer cut out of an old inner tube prevents leakage.

Each of my honey tins comes with one of those non biodegradable plastic covers which, horrible as it is, can nevertheless be snapped on the can to prevent bugs and trash from getting into the water. I poke a pinhole into the lid to prevent a perfect seal, since an airtight container with an outlet in the lower end will release only enough liquid to create a vacuum equal to the ambient atmospheric pressure. In other words, ya gotta let air in the top to get water out the bottom. (Cans with reusable metal lids are less common than they used to be but would probably be preferable because of the rabbit's tendency to gnaw everything within reach. See E.P. Bell's article In this issue.-MOTHER.)

All three members of my herd now nurse at tin-can mammaries with brass nipples. They cost a third of what crockery does and work a jillion times better.

Once I had my rabbits settled in their hutches, I could think about getting them into production and at that point all the authorities I consulted ganged up on me and recommended record keeping. I have to admit it's handy to know when a doe is ready to kindle, when her litter will be weaned, and when the mother should be rebred. I, however, am the world's worst maker of notes. If I'm interrupted I forget to jot down a record at all and if 1 do write something I lose the paper and if neither of those things happens I either don't have a calendar handy or 1 miscount the days. Faced with all that paperwork, therefore, I whimpered and cast around for a less painful method of managing my bunnies and here it is.

Fellow rabbit raisers, save yourself hassle and higher math by using my (ta taa! You ready for this?) 73-day system. Breed your doe and write a "1" on the card you've mounted on her cage for that purpose. When you feed her next day, write a "2" in the space next to the "1 ". Each day thereafter, change the lower number by adding two to it. (That is: On the third day, you'll add "2" to "1" which is-obviously-the lower of your first two numbers, "1 " and "2". Write down the "3" and cross out the "1 ". Then, the next day, add "2" to the new lower number-"'2"-and write down the "4", cross out the "2", etc.) From day 14 to day 21, harvest the litter the doe has with her (the first time through this routine, of course, she'll be alone). The doe will kindle on approximately day 30. After day 73 start over by changing your "72" to a "1" and that's your signal to rebreed the female.

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